It is known to provide a powered sliding door system for a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle to allow an occupant to enter and exit an occupant compartment through a door opening in a vehicle body of the automotive vehicle. The powered sliding door system typically includes a door extending longitudinally and mounted on tracks for sliding movement to open and close the door opening. The powered sliding door system includes a cable attached to the door and routed through the vehicle body via pulleys so that pulling a first end of the cable opens the door and pulling a second end of the cable closes the door. The powered sliding door system also includes an actuator assembly having first and second reels about which the ends of the cable are wrapped. The actuator assembly includes a motor that drives in one direction, rotating the first reel to open the door, and is reversible to in an opposite direction, rotating the second reel to close the door.
The actuator assembly is typically mounted in a rear compartment of the vehicle body, which varies in depth, width and height. Also, the amount of room in the rear compartment for the actuator assembly is often limited due to other components requiring space in this area. Further, if the automotive vehicle has right hand and left hand sliding doors, unique right hand and left hand actuator assemblies are used. Finally, the actuator assembly must provide ease of sliding door movement in both a power and manual mode of operation.
Although the above powered sliding door system has worked well, it is desirable to provide a universal actuator assembly for both right-hand and left-hand sliding doors of the automotive vehicle. It is also desirable to reduce the package size of the actuator assembly. It is further desirable to reduce weight and cost of the actuator assembly. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an improved actuator assembly for a sliding power door system for an automotive vehicle.